Are prices still climbing or have they eased up a bit??? 43 43

[shadroch]

In 1987, an extensive pulp collection walked into my shop. I knew nothing about their value but agreed to try to sell them for the owner. I contacted another store owner, who suggested two dealers. When I called the first, he told me the condition wasn't much of a factor with pulps—scarcity and content were all. The other dealer asked me a couple of questions and told me he typically pays $1-$2 per book regardless of condition.  I returned the pulps to the owner with the numbers of the two dealers. 

It sounds like things have changed. 

[DC#]

March results from Swagglehaus' index.     Not to give away the punchline - Silver was down 8% vs Feb, Bronze up 5% and Copper up 8%.    If you look at the charts - the aggregate results seem to indicate that we may be in a sort of "flat-ish" phase.   Just bouncing around in a range.   

 

 

 

[ADAMANTIUM]

On 4/8/2024 at 5:26 PM, DC# said:

March results from Swagglehaus' index.     Not to give away the punchline - Silver was down 8% vs Feb, Bronze up 5% and Copper up 8%.    If you look at the charts - the aggregate results seem to indicate that we may be in a sort of "flat-ish" phase.   Just bouncing around in a range.   

 

 

 

With comic con in 2 moths it figures.

Can't catch a break sometimes

 

[Darwination]

On 4/8/2024 at 12:10 PM, Hepcat said:

Truth! That's another sleazy element in the hobby that needs to be spotlighted. The auction houses deliberately "talk up" prices.

I've never read a pulp but the mens' sweat magazines from the 1950's to the 1970's are excellent reading!

 

This bottom one is a straight classic, Hepcat.  You should share it here:

Got 53 pages of thread on men's adventure magazines/sweats.  Sort of exiled from the pulps in their own little area, LMAO.

I'd also point out regarding pulps the fact there's a very active area for the pulp magazines on the boards, from what I can tell as busy or busier than most other areas (lots of paperback talk going on there as well).

Many discussions in the past year regarding CGC grading practices as pertains to pulps specifically as well general market talk and reactions to any given spotlight auction...

Edited April 8 by Darwination

[Hepcat]

On 4/8/2024 at 11:25 AM, Darwination said:

 I love the smell - my wife, not so much 

Sad to hear but that's quite common in long marriages. Eventually the bloom comes off the romance.

Edited April 9 by Hepcat

[SeniorSurfer]

I slogged through that guy's video, something I would never normally do as I find these YouTube opiners/influencers akin to phlegm.  While he was a bit more eloquent than most, he still pads content (reminds me of those procedural/reality and some history shows where they repeat the same thought in several different ways) and he notes twice that he doesn't really know pulps that well.  Clearly true, as he compares them with the graded video game market, which is not the same.  I thought - as many here have expressed - that the vid market was a manipulated collectible money grab, but there the similarity to pulps ends:  Vid games have been around about 50 years (70's), while pulps have been around since '96 - that's 1896 - or more than twice as long.  The games were meant to be repeatedly used and kept, while pulps (much like comics) were a throw-away item printed on the cheapest paper around... uhhh... pulp, I believe.  The actual numbers of games made and pulps printed might be similar, though a quick look at the units of "Legend of Zelda" that have been sold since 12/2023 (163.391 M) suggests pulps may be more numerous owing to the volume of titles and time they were available.  Still, due to their more perishable nature and lessened interest over the years (they didn't get as much press as comics or the slick magazines), I would posit there are much less of them around, especially in good condition.

I also am no pulp expert and I'll concede he did have a point worth considering:  He would like more of a baseline of graded pulps logged in the census before starting to throw money at the limited number that are listed.  Fair enough, but if you have some idea of the history of pulps, as a collector or as an investor, this could backfire and the wait for other Weird Tales from December 1932 or October 1933, All-Story from October 1912 (which he scoffed at because well, you know... who cares about Tarzan?) or a Famous Fantastic Mysteries from August 1946 might just open up a greater market for these interesting and rare books or even be shown to be (gasp!) rarer and more valuable than that original "Donkey Kong."  As we always have said in the comic world, you should collect what you like.

[Key Largo Comics]

On 4/8/2024 at 12:46 PM, The humble Watcher lurking said:

The movie thing is over. See all these YouTubers pumping movie rumors. It's bad for them as  they were getting 100,000 plus views now they  get 1000 at most. They be begging. Lol crazy. 

The "movie thing" is not over. Plenty of books popping on a daily and weekly basis due to TV and movie news. See X-Men 97, James Gunn DC castings, Shalla-Bal Siver Surfer etc.

What's over is the COVID bubble. You can't just throw a dart at any spec book and expect to make money. You have to actually put in the work and make smart choices.

Edited April 9 by Key Largo Comics

[The humble Watcher lurking]

On 4/9/2024 at 8:57 AM, Key Largo Comics said:

The "movie thing" is not over. Plenty of books popping on a daily and weekly basis due to TV and movie news. See X-Men 97, James Gunn DC castings, Shalla-Bal Siver Surfer etc.

What's over is the COVID bubble. You can't just throw a dart at any spec book and expect to make money. You have to actually put in the work and make smart choices.

I can see your point of view but I feel safer buying stocks. 

[blazingbob]

On 4/9/2024 at 9:14 AM, The humble Watcher lurking said:

I can see your point of view but I feel safer buying stocks. 

Not that I'm saying the comic market is safer but the stock market?  Lets see,  analyst opinions,  you own a great company in a lousy sector and the stock goes down,  market momentum,  interest rate influences,  depending on the sector you are in there are government influences that could enhance or crush your position,  you could be in a semiconductor company that doesn't serve the new "hot AI" sector.  The list goes on and on.  

Everything requires work/research and learning.  Same with the comic market,  same with the stock market.  It is all a grind,  nothing comes easy

[The humble Watcher lurking]

On 4/9/2024 at 9:45 AM, blazingbob said:

Not that I'm saying the comic market is safer but the stock market?  Lets see,  analyst opinions,  you own a great company in a lousy sector and the stock goes down,  market momentum,  interest rate influences,  depending on the sector you are in there are government influences that could enhance or crush your position,  you could be in a semiconductor company that doesn't serve the new "hot AI" sector.  The list goes on and on.  

Everything requires work/research and learning.  Same with the comic market,  same with the stock market.  It is all a grind,  nothing comes easy

I only really focus on two markets AI and weight loss diabetic drugs. So far so good. 

[1Cool]

On 4/9/2024 at 8:57 AM, Key Largo Comics said:

The "movie thing" is not over. Plenty of books popping on a daily and weekly basis due to TV and movie news. See X-Men 97, James Gunn DC castings, Shalla-Bal Siver Surfer etc.

What's over is the COVID bubble. You can't just throw a dart at any spec book and expect to make money. You have to actually put in the work and make smart choices.

I'd agree with some of what you say but the "movie thing" is down to a trickle and you better be really quick to sell the hot book since they don't stay hot for long.  The decade pre-COVID was a constant onslaught of books that are getting hot, projected to be hot, possible could be hot and scorching hot.  There are minor blips every now and then but I'd basically call it on life support and things don't look good since the blips are coming less and less and spikes are less intense.  Every Con I go to I hear several dealers lamenting the death of the speculators but if you are killing it with speculating on books then good on ya!

Edited April 9 by 1Cool

[blazingbob]

On 4/9/2024 at 9:46 AM, The humble Watcher lurking said:

I only really focus on two markets AI and weight loss diabetic drugs. So far so good. 

Of course both are doing well until someone in the AI sector posts a lousy quarter or guidance.  And frankly the weight loss diabetes drug bonanza is one class action lawsuit away from disaster since we haven't seen long term effects of using diabetes medication for weight loss which is not what it is intended for.  And this is coming from someone who follows the tech sector and biotech sector very very closely.    

[The humble Watcher lurking]

On 4/9/2024 at 9:52 AM, blazingbob said:

Of course both are doing well until someone in the AI sector posts a lousy quarter or guidance.  And frankly the weight loss diabetes drug bonanza is one class action lawsuit away from disaster since we haven't seen long term effects of using diabetes medication for weight loss which is not what it is intended for.  And this is coming from someone who follows the tech sector and biotech sector very very closely.    

Most comic book keys down 50 to 70 percent since 2021.  I will stay with my certain stocks. Deadpool 3 should be big there, but after that? We shall see. 

[Hepcat]

On 4/9/2024 at 9:46 AM, The humble Watcher lurking said:

I only really focus on two markets AI and weight loss diabetic drugs. So far so good. 

Buy the railroads. The demand for their service isn't going away even in your great grandkids' lifetimes. And they're not making any more of them (financially impossible these days) so they have a natural oligopoly verging on a monopoly. My two favourites because I like their rail networks are CP($88.09) and CNI($129.79).

Edited April 9 by Hepcat

[Hepcat]

On 4/9/2024 at 9:46 AM, 1Cool said:

Every Con I go to I hear several dealers lamenting the death of the speculators but if you are killing it with speculating on books then good on ya!

I'd avoid those dealers. I prefer to deal with those whose business model is based on looking after their long-term customers and not the here-today- gone-tomorrow crowd.

Edited April 9 by Hepcat

[The humble Watcher lurking]

On 4/9/2024 at 10:57 AM, Hepcat said:

Buy the railroads. The demand for their service isn't going away even in your great grandkids' lifetimes. And they're not making any more of them (financially impossible these days) so they have a natural oligopoly verging on a monopoly. My two favourites because I like their rail networks are CP($88.09) and CNI($129.79).

Thanks for that good advice I will look into that. Luke. 

[shadroch]

Buying the newest shiny object is an interesting stock-buying strategy.  

[ThothAmon]

On 4/7/2024 at 11:55 PM, FanBoyOfMarve'nDC said:

pulps

 

On 4/7/2024 at 11:55 PM, FanBoyOfMarve'nDC said:

like the graded video game market

Now this made me laugh out loud. 
 

[RockMyAmadeus]

 

[1Cool]

On 4/9/2024 at 11:03 AM, Hepcat said:

I'd avoid those dealers. I prefer to deal with those whose business model is based on looking after their long-term customers and not the here-today- gone-tomorrow crowd.

You would be hard pressed to find any dealer who didn't sell to speculators during and before COVID.  There was a lot of money made doing that so I'd think pretty much everyone would lament losing that steady stream of income.  Plenty of dealers did a bunch of business in other areas of the hobby but movie speculator's money paid for plenty of vacations and children school loans for a bunch of people.